19 September 2012

Review: Throne of Glass - Sarah J. Maas

After serving out a year
of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old
assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince
Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his
champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.

Her
opponents are men—thieves and assassins and warriors from across the
empire, each sponsored by a member of the kings council. If she beats
her opponents in a series of eliminations, she’ll serve the kingdom for
three years and then be granted her freedom.

Celaena finds her
training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging
and exhilirating. But she’s bored stiff by court life. Things get a
little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in
her... but it’s the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her
best.

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly
followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she
becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads
her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

My review of Throne of Glass (5/5 stars):

Throne of
Glass is an intricately detailed and wonderfully enthralling epic fantasy novel
that had me utterly spellbound by the magically powerful tale. Beautifully
narrated, Sarah J. Maas weaves a tale of mystery, romance, suspense, magic and
intrigue that instantly held my attention and had me yearning to see what secrets
the next page revealed. Maas gives us a story that harkens back to traditional
epic fantasy and we even see the fairytale Cinderella intertwined, creating a
majestic tale that is possibly one of my favourite books of the year.

The story
had me hooked from the beginning and the first chapter instantly raised a
hundred questions in my head and had me embroiled in the story, wanting more
and more. The storyline was thoroughly compelling and captivating, with
numerous different plots all intertwined. The tournament is obviously the
central plotline of the story but there is also a darker, twisted storyline
where a monstrous beast roams the castle brutally murdering individuals
participating in the tournament. Wyrdmarks, prophecies and spirits also add
another layer to the storyline of Throne of Glass creating a truly enchanting
tale, with depth and complexity and a whole lot of fun and surprises along the
way. This fantasy book did not disappoint and page after page the story and the
characters shocked, amused and worried me as I was pulled deeper and deeper in
the amazing novel that is Maas’ brilliant Throne of Glass.

We are
introduced to Celaena Sardothien, Adarlan’s greatest assassin being dragged,
weakened after a year of physical and mental torture, through an endless maze
of corridors not knowing what her fate will be. Fiesty, confident and arrogant her
spirit has not yet been broken in the salt mines of Endovier and there is fight
still left in her. Right from the beginning I knew that I was going to both
love and loath Celaena Sardothien.

Her
arrogance frustrated me at times but then again her ruthless, murderous
reputation as Adarlan’s Assassin, allows her to be cocky and arrogant. She is
the best at what she does and she knows it and I did I admire her confidence in
herself. Her love of literature, music and fancy clothing surprised me as this
depiction of a gentle, educated girl completely contrasted with the ruthless
and calculated role of an assassin. She is portrayed as a passionate young girl
enjoying the simple pleasures in life whilst refusing to conform to the
stereotypical role of a violent and callous assassin. I enjoyed the fact that
she wasn’t some tomboy kick-ass heroine like many female protagonists in
fantasy these days. She loves the feel of a weapon in her hand, the adrenaline
that rushes through her body during a fight but she also enjoys the feel of
silk on her skin, the smell of sweet perfume and the way the perfect dress
looks on her silhouette. Her love of elegant, exquisite and beautiful things in
my opinion shows Celaeanas humanity, her vulnerability and her eagerness for a
simple life devoid of killing and torture. As the story unfolded I forgot that
Celaena was known for killing as her willingness to help others, whilst risking
her own life in moments of danger showed a softer, more caring side to her
character. She was a character easy to empathise with and I enjoyed the evident
evolution of her character as the story progressed. I enjoyed seeing each layer
of Celaenas character being peeled back bit by bit, with each layer revealing
another side to her complicated, compelling character.

Usually
love triangles frustrate me as they can sometimes deter from the story itself
and it can be such a cliché but I actually enjoyed the blossoming relationships
portrayed in the story between Celaena and Dorian Havilliard the flamboyant,
flirtatious Crown Prince of Adarlan and the quiet, brooding Captain Westfall. Both
characters saw different sides to Celaena’s character; her vulnerable side and
her feisty side and I enjoyed their interactions with one another.

Dorian
surprised me. Despite being spoiled, arrogant and cocky he is also caring,
romantic and completely smitten with Celaena. At ease in her presence he sees
Celaena for who she truly is and throughout the novel becomes dedicated to
helping her secure a path towards freedom. What was most surprising about his
character is how different he is to his brutal father, the King of Adarlan. The
King on the other hand is a sadistic monster, hungry for dominance, a man who
takes pleasure in crushing everything in his way. Maas created the perfect
baddie, a scary and monstrous individual who sent a few shivers down my spine.

The third
individual in the love triangle is possibly one of my favourite characters in
the novel besides Celaena and Princess Nehemia. I believe that Chaol, Captain
Westfall, is such a softie underneath all that tough, ‘I don’t care’ demeanour.
A deeply quiet, brooding character he is highly prejudiced against Celaena and
is not afraid of constantly letting her know that she is a trained killer
worthy of distrust. Throughout the novel his emotions are guarded and he fights
with his growing feelings for Celaena throwing him into emotional turmoil. It
is as if he is caught between duty and love, unable to comprehend his growing
affection for an assassin. I thought he was a sweet character, a quiet
companion, a constant protector and there were numerous times throughout the
story where his loveable, caring character just shone through his tough
exterior. Also there were quite a few moments in the story that made me giggle
and the growing tension between the pair paved the way for some amusing and
touching moments.

The
mysterious and exotic Princess Nehemia is definitely a contender for my
favourite character as her powerful personality and loyalty to her people made
her stand out. She’s tough, loyal and intelligent; a strong female character
who instantly struck a bond with the fierce assassin. I hope to see more of
Nehemia in future novels as her I enjoyed seeing her friendship with Celaena
evolve throughout the novel and I can see her becoming an important figure if
events enfold like I hope them to.

This epic
fantasy was truly an epic tale and I can’t wait for the second instalment in
the series and I would definitely count Throne of Glass as one of my favourite
fantasy books of the year. Throne of Glass is a beautiful tale filled with
surprises and compelling characters. Celaena Sardothien the kick-ass heroine,
who loves to relax in a frilly dress, book in hand was a treat to read about
and I will definitely be joining her, Dorian, Chaol and co in Maas’ sequel. I
would definitely, definitely recommend this book as it is a fascinating story
with strong, complex characters that any fantasy lover would devour with
pleasure.